Macedonius and Others Deposed

Acacius, Eudoxius, and those at Constantinople who sided with them became very eager to depose some of the opposite party in their turn. It should be noted that neither faction was moved by religious considerations in making depositions, but by other motives. For although they disagreed about the faith, the grounds on which they deposed one another were not errors in doctrine. So the Acacian party took advantage of the emperor’s anger against others, and especially against Macedonius, which he was nursing and eager to vent. First they deposed Macedonius, both because he had caused so much bloodshed and because he had admitted to communion a deacon who had been found guilty of fornication. Then they deposed Eleusius, bishop of Cyzicus, for having baptized, and afterward made a deacon, a priest of Hercules at Tyre named Heraclius, who was known to have practiced magic. A like sentence was passed on Basil, or Basilas, as he was also called, who had been made bishop of Ancyra in place of Marcellus. The reasons given for condemning him were that he had unjustly imprisoned a certain man, loaded him with chains and tortured him; that he had slandered some people; and that he had stirred up trouble in the churches of Africa with his letters. Dracontius was also deposed, because he had left the church of Galatia for that of Pergamum. Besides these, they deposed on various pretexts Neonas, bishop of Seleucia, the city in which the synod had met; Sophronius of Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia; Elpidius of Satala in Macedonia; Cyril of Jerusalem; and others for various reasons. [a]